John Anthony
John Anthony (born Johnathan Lucas Anthony, October 12, 1979) is an American Professional Wrestler and the Director of Operations for the Mirage Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is currently signed to an exclusive contract with the Universal Wrestling League, where he is the reigning UWL Tag Team Champion with The Phenomenal Blu. = Early Life = John was born in Nashville, Tennessee and is the first child of Lisa and James Anthony. From an early age John found an absolute fascination with the sports world and specifically football. Although never playing on any school teams, John would study statistics, tapes, and coaching strategies day in and day out. His father always wanted him to get involved in playing football for his high school, but John instead began looking into radio broadcasting to become a play-by-play commentator. While in college in Nashville, John became a sportscaster for a local radio station and began delving into the world of sports betting. During the football season he would release what he called his "Million Dollar Locks," which he considered the closest thing to a sure bet out there. His uncanny ability to determine these odds and his charisma caught the attention of various sports firms in Las Vegas, most notably Bodog Sports which was currently ran and operated by Calvin Ayre. Calvin wasted no time hiring John Anthony to his company and, thanks to a large signing bonus, flipped John's life upside down by giving him the resources to move to Beverly Hills and begin an absolutely extravagant lifestyle of fast cars, beautiful women, and big money. = Career = Mixed Martial Arts About six months after John has relocated to Beverly Hills and began working for Bodog Sports, he was introduced to the competitive world of MMA. With the growing success of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), Calvin Ayre proposed beginning his own branch of MMA that he would call "Bodog Fights." John, who was already in amazing shape due to his undertaking in Muay-Thai Kick boxing and an intense workout regimen, agreed to participate and was billed on the first card. Unfortunately, two weeks before the debut PPV, Calvin Ayre temporarily scrapped the initiative due to lack of sponsorship and advertisement. However, John now had a thirst to compete and wanted to be a member of the sports world instead of just a spectator. While not slaving over statistics and tapes, John worked on his physique and stamina with a team of Beverly Hills hard-hitters by the name "Team Iron Fist." From them he learned a methodical and suave form of fighting that relied on heavy hitting, good ring psychology, and showmanship to drive a crowd wild. After sparring with the group for nearly a year and a half they disbanded to join various promotions, some seeking out UFC contracts, others being convinced by Calvin Ayre to join his team to once again try to bring forth Bodog Fights. John Anthony had other ideas however, and wanted to seek out an entrance to the world of professional wrestling. Power On Wrestling John Anthony made his debut in the professional wrestling world after signing a one-match contract with the acting General Manager of Power On Wrestling: New England, Tony Hunter. Despite being an unknown face on the roster, John wasted little time building a fan base by making short work of Jack "The Rana King" Greaves and earning himself a written contract with the federation. Many up-and-comers on the New England expansion roster were preparing for the "Gutcheck Gauntlet Challenge" that would take place at Big Bang, the expansions first Super DVD Taping event. John was offered a spot in the gauntlet, but was nearly forced to withdrawal after his mother was hospitalized due to surgical complications suffered during a routine appendectomy. Friend and agent Calvin Ayre convinced John to participate in the gauntlet match, and John ultimately won the excruciating affair after eliminating Buddy Love Johansson to be the last man standing. For the next few weeks John Anthony went on a winning streak, gloating over his dominance and success in the fledgling expansion federation. However, these egotistical outbursts caught the attention of Macros, a man fitting the persona of a Roman soldier. They were booked against one another a week before John was scheduled to main event POW:NE's next Super DVD Taping, and Macros delivered an unholy beat down on the unsuspecting John Anthony. Despite the referee stopping the match, Macros continued the assault and left John on the injured list, forcing him to miss the DVD Taping event. Even while injured, John refused to take things lying down. He began taking interviews while in the hospital bed and swore he would return to the ring and resume right where he left off. However, he also promised not to seek revenge on Macros for his career-threatening attack on him, but instead to ask for a rematch so he could defeat him legitimately in front of all the world. This offer was at first ignored until John made a surprise return to the ring while current Northeast Heavyweight Champion JR Zevon was competing with Macros. John Anthony's interference led to Zevon being victorious and John getting his much wanted rematch. The next week John succeeded in pinning Macros with JR Zevon as the special guest referee. The impending feud between defending champion JR Zevon and challenger John Anthony turned a new page when John defeated Zevon at Red, White, and Bruised, becoming the second Northeastern Heavyweight Champion. Many felt the match was a fluke however as John won with a quick roll-up after countering Zevon's signature "Extra Crispy" move. There were other things on John's mind however, as after becoming champion at Red, White, and Bruised, John knelt to one knee and proposed to then secretary Julia Sven. In a complete shock to all, she declined and fled from the stage as the show went off the air. John would later find out that the cause of this was a love affair between Julia and Dave Hunter. A scuffle between the two boiled over during a match between John and Mick Cormac when all three members began attacking each other with whatever objects they could get their hands on. Tony Hunter emerged claiming that if John lay a single finger on his son Dave then he would face suspension. Tony also continued by booking John Anthony versus JR Zevon is a rematch at Ocean City Slam, this time inside a steel cage. While out partying before the impending Super DVD taping, John Anthony was drugged and kidnapped by an underground fighting cartel and forced to participate in unsanctioned street fights for his freedom. One opponent by the name of "Brine" roughed John Anthony up to the point of him snapping and nearly ending the night with a trip to the morgue. Power On Wrestling decided it best to cover up and deny these events in order to not tarnish the integrity of the Eastern Heavyweight Championship. However during the cage match between John and Zevon, Brine interfered, attempting to end John's reign as champion. Somehow John Anthony managed to still leave successful and walk out of the arena the Eastern Heavyweight Champion in what would ultimately be POW: New England's final show. John would spend the next month on the sidelines, recovering from the events prior and wondering what his fate would be as a wrestler for Power On Wrestling now that the New England branch had disbanded. At Legendaria, John managed to defend his title despite his month long absence against Buddy Love in what many called the most respectable match between two superstars in a long time. Over the next few weeks John became mixed up with Josh Eagles, Reck Maverick, and Kailus Holmes. The four men were arguably the upper echelon of the federation, and this all culminated in a single match up between Reck Maverick, Josh Eagles, and John Anthony at Reckless Abandon where they would unify the Northeastern Heavyweight Championship (held by John), the Midwestern Heavyweight Champion (held by Reck), and the World Heavyweight Championship (held by Eagles). After a match up lasting nearly an entire hour, Reck Maverick managed to force John Anthony to tap out to the Dragon Buckler thus becoming the POW Unified World Champion. In defeat and dismay, John requested to end his contract with Power On Wrestling. He agreed to fight out a final match before departing, and afterwards vanished from the wrestling scene for nearly a year. Sports Entertainment Xtreme During John's year outside of the ring, many developments had occurred in his professional life. Calvin Ayre had sold Bodog Sports to the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group. This transfer saw John Anthony lose his position as Co-CEO of the company in exchange for a cash advancement and stock holdings in Bodog International. John quickly found himself working for the MGM Mirage Hotel & Casino as their Director of Operations. This spotlight and media attention once again made John Anthony a hot commodity and garnered the attention of former POW:NE employee, Randall Lovejoy. Lovejoy's budding promotion, Sports Entertainment Xtreme, wrote out a potential contract and offered John Anthony a position amongst their ranks. At first hesitant, the idea of wrestling alongside previous friends and co-workers such as Buddy Love and Lance Erikson swayed John into considering the idea. However, rumors were already circulating about the potential demise of the federation. With Tito Capaci as co-pilot of the organization, one could argue that it was only a matter of time until the destined collapse. Knowing this, John refused to sign any written contracts with the organization and instead opted for an open verbal contract that would be acknowledged on a "Per Appearance" basis. This led to John losing out on the promised perks of a written contract such as a quick road the main event, but he saw it as an opportunity to work off a year's worth of ring rust. Fighting in the under card for his first few weeks, John managed to slowly return to tip-top shape. Unfortunately, the aforementioned rumors came to fruition. Randall Lovejoy announced that S.E.X. would be closing its doors already and that there would be one final show in a month's time. John Anthony was booked in a "Fan's Dream Match" against Lance Erikson, but he refused to work the match. Frustrated by the idea of such a short lived return, John sought out a new federation to call his home and he struck absolute gold. Approaching Universal Wrestling League staff about his current debacle with S.E.X., John was offered an exclusive contract with the star-studded and top tier wrestling fed. He quickly signed the deal and bid a fond fare well to those sinking with the ship that was S.E.X. Universal Wrestling League Jumping straight back into the limelight would prove no easy task however. Unlike the under card of S.E.X., UWL offered competition even in its lowest ranks. The media attention on John's wrestling return only served to increase the pressure put on him to perform during his opening weeks at UWL. Stepping up to the challenge, John Anthony debuted as a UWL wrestler during their 82nd television taping in Knoxville, Tennessee where he successfully defeated the legendary Nick Pickles. John felt that he had shown he was in perfect performance shape thanks to his short stint in S.E.X. and asked to be booked for UWL's upcoming Super Card Destiny III. His wish was granted, but not in the way he had originally hoped. Management found it appropriate to place him against Pepper Johnson, a man who had just successfully swept PH Davidson in a best of five series that promised the winner a future title shot of their choosing. Despite the hype surrounding Pepper Johnson, Anthony proved that determination and his in-ring psychology were more than enough to handle the opposition and he claimed victory at Destiny III after twenty minutes in the ring with Pepper. This sudden escalation back into fame and glory began having an effect on John Anthony outside of the ring. His love life with current fiancee Julia Sven became rocky when she began noticing changes in John's attitude. He promised it was only him trying to better tune himself to the level of competition in the UWL and that it would no longer pour outside of the ring. Unfortunately this would prove to be a short lived promise after John was granted an opportunity to face off against current UWL Heavyweight Champion Ciaran McConnell. Despite his greatest efforts, Ciaran managed not only to defeat John, but to knock him out cold and score the standing ten count for a victory. After the match McConnell offered a handshake to John and he hesitantly accepted. After the match John was not so eager to speak kindly of the world champion. In fact, this began a crucial turning point in the way John Anthony treated his competitors after claiming to have been "embarrassed and humiliated" by the champion after he scored a knock out victory instead of opting for the pinfall. These accusations and emotions would have to be set aside however. Almost directly after being defeated by the champion, John was booked as Ciaran's tag team partner against The Celtic Connection, Robbie Venom and Kyle Neverwinter. After a solid victory that saw Ciaran tag Kyle Neverwinter, emotions ran high in the ring. McConnell offered his opponents a handshake out of respect just as he had done with Anthony, but the results proved to be slightly different this time around. After John stepped in to prevent the possibility of an after-match beat down, Kyle Neverwinter took a cheap shot and floored John. Security was required to step in and John was booked against Kyle for the next Super Card taping: All-Star Spectacular. The week leading up to the acclaimed match saw John began to struggle with his moral standings. Having always entered the ring for the fans and for the integrity of this sport, he now found himself wanting to go further than just defeating his opponent. Now he wanted Kyle Neverwinter to pay for the sins of attacking him after an honorable match. John declared that after he defeated Kyle, he would offer him a chance to shake his hand as a showing of who the better man truly was. Things did not go as planned. Despite winning the match after showcasing his new finishing maneuver "The Vegasplex", John was not rewarded with the handshake he requested. Kyle refused and went as far as to say that he would never shake the hand of John Anthony. A rematch between the two was scheduled for UWL's upcoming international event: Live in Liverpool. Julia Sven begged John to stop seeking to humiliate his opponents and to go back to being the John Anthony she knew and loved. He had reached a boiling point however and refused to do so. Going one step further, he called off the wedding and broke off not only his year long relationship with Julia, but also his assistant ship with long time partner and friend Daniel Fergusson. Leaving his New Jersey home, John relocated himself to the Presidential Suite of the Mirage Casino where he was employed as Director of Operations. He swore that from this moment on, he was in this for himself and himself alone. He would no longer be tied down by such petty ideals as honor, fate, integrity, or respect. Now he would live by his rules and begin shaping a world as he saw fit by passing judgment on all those he deemed deserving, starting with Kyle Neverwinter. Despite a solid start to their match in Liverpool, towards the end John proved he was a man of his word. Throwing caution to the wind (as well as a history of never resorting to cheap tactics), John wrapped his fist with a chain and smashed Kyle right over the head after the referee was bumped accidentally. He then went on to pin Kyle Neverwinter and ordered him to shake his hand. Kyle still refused, so John knocked him out cold and shook the limp hand of Kyle Neverwinter anyway. The Coronation Cup Under Construction = In Wrestling = *'Finishing Moves' :*''Even the Odds'' (Double-Undertook Fallback DDT) (2007-Current) :*Gamebreaker (Modified Bow-and-Arrow Submission) (2007) :*''High Life'' (Electric Chair into Rising Knee Facebuster) (2007-Current) :*''Vegasplex'' (Slingshot Snap Suplex) (2008-Current) *'Signature/Regular Moves' :* No Remorse (Springboard Lariat) :* Connect the Dots (Top Rope Delayed Missile Dropkick) :* T-Bone Suplex :* Irish-Whip into a Scoop Slam :* Side Russian Legsweep :* Large variety of precision kicks *'Managers' :*Daniel Fergusson (Personal Assistant during Power On Wrestling tenure) (Fired) :*Julia Sven (Fiancee and Secretary during Universal Wrestling League tenure) (Split up after heel turn) *'Entrance Themes' :*"You Spin Me Round" (RoughtKUT Remix) by Dead or Alive (Early 2007) :*"The Way I Are" (Remix) by Timbaland & Nephew (Late 2007) :*"Ties That Bind" by Alter Bridge (Early 2008) :*'"Change (In The House of Flies)" by Deftones (Current)' = Championships & Accomplishments = :* Gutcheck Gauntlet Winner ::* POW: New England - April 30, 2007 :* Eastern Heavyweight Champion ::* POW: New England. Won on July 9th, 2007. Lost on September 21, 2007. Reign: 74 days :* Coronation Cup Singles Champion 2008 ::* UWL - August 20, 2008. Defeated Matt Mathews in the final match.